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Best time to get chickens?

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  • #1

    Best time to get chickens?

    Hi everyone,

    I'm new to keeping chickens and have mapped out a section of my allotment for them to live on. However I'm currently waiting to start my new job next month (fresh out of uni, eek!) so am a bit low on funds at the moment.

    What I was wondering is, is there any disadvantage to getting chickens, say, in the winter time? I probably won't have their coop and run ready until October/November time so would be looking at rescuing some ex-bats in around that time. I don't know whether the cold weather would set them back a bit though with regards to them settling in to their new home. So would I be better waiting until spring or does it not really matter when you get your chickens?
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  • #2
    I would wait until spring. They stop laying in the winter but you still have to feed them.
    Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

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    • #3
      Yep as Roitelet has said. Spring is the best time to get them, you'll have the whole laying season ahead.
      Last edited by Scarlet; 21-08-2014, 08:01 PM.

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      • #4
        don't get any chickens until you're sure your plot is absolutely, totally fox proof
        All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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        • #5
          absolutely, totally fox proof
          Feed the soil, not the plants.
          (helps if you have cluckies)

          Man v Squirrels, pigeons & Ants
          Bob

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          • #6
            Thanks for your replies everyone, I guess I'll wait till spring then. There are other people keeping chickens on the allotment site without problems so I think I should be okay. To be on the safe side I am going to use weld mesh for the run rather than chicken wire and dig it into the ground, etc. And they'll be locked up in the coop overnight anyway.

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            • #7
              Weld mesh is far superior to chicken wire, in my experience hills of devon is the cheapest supplier and quick turn round. 1/2" by 1".. if you bury the skirt (and do not forget the top/roof) it is pretty well bomb proof.
              Feed the soil, not the plants.
              (helps if you have cluckies)

              Man v Squirrels, pigeons & Ants
              Bob

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              • #8
                If you've the space and are setup up, yesterday

                As said though, they pretty much stop laying though the darkest part of winter and if they ain't in your back yard, you've got to get to them a few times a day during the coldest spells as their water freezes..... And that needs to be taken into account.
                Never test the depth of the water with both feet

                The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory....

                Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.

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                • #9
                  Hello. You'll love getting hens - I can understand your eagerness!

                  I read recently that *actually* the best time to get hens is in the late summer, but that's if you're buying POL pullets. For ex-batts the same considerarions won't apply. The theory is that pullets reaching POL in spring have been raised over winter indoors and so may not be quite so robust as hens that have been raised outdoors over the summer. It made sense to me but I don't know if it realy holds water!
                  Is there anything that isn't made better by half an hour pottering in the veg patch?

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                  • #10
                    Just to let you know - as you have said you are new to chickens.
                    Ex batts tend to be lovely and friendly, will lay pretty well, and are usually inexpensive to get hold off however they have had a hard life before meeting you and it is quite likely to reflect in their lifespan - I know it is not nice but if they are the first chickens you have you might think its your fault.
                    Please don't let it put you off but look at the different breeds too or even brown hens that just weren't ex-batts.
                    I started with a trio of pekins - I still have one that is now coming up to 10 years old but none of my ex-batts made it past 2.5 years.

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                    • #11
                      I started with ex batts, and pretty much close to winter here. Problem being they are often half or less, feathered.
                      I think the best time to get them is when you have a few days to help them settle in.

                      When you think about it, ex batt's have been living in less than ideal conditions, and it's been winter where they came from. Usually they are turfed at the end of summer when they would normally start to slow down. I think that it can only be an improvement from their pov. You do have to feed non laying chooks thru winter though.

                      We gave ours warm mash in the mornings, and a midday meal of grains in winter and half of them laid all winter (and then had a rest come spring ).
                      As for losing them....I lost my non batties over the last 18 months. The ex batt's can turn their toes up, but I've found that they seem to have weathered a hard life and weather better than the local breeds.
                      Ali

                      My blog: feral007.com/countrylife/

                      Some days it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints!

                      One bit of old folklore wisdom says to plant tomatoes when the soil is warm enough to sit on with bare buttocks. In surburban areas, use the back of your wrist. Jackie French

                      Member of the Eastern Branch of the Darn Under Nutter's Club

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